America is the land of the free…..well, kind of. Although they sing it in their songs and wear it on their t-shirts, there are still some things prohibited that really should not be. Couples of the same sex cannot legally adopt in four states of the US and cannot legally marry in forty eight of the states. Homosexuals (commonly referred to as "gays" or "lesbians") are almost constantly persecuted for being what they are, not only by religious communities, but by friends and family as well. Hate crimes are committed against them, in addition to prejudices in any kind of job having to do with children, including Girl and Boy Scouts. If "all you need is love", the odds are stacked against people attracted to the same sex. The real issue, one would argue, is why?
- Homosexuality: noun. Sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one’s own sex.
- Chapter 115 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 1738B the following: "Sec. 1738C. Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof 'No State, territory, or possession of the United States, or Indian tribe, shall be required to give effect to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a relationship between persons of the same sex that is treated as a marriage under the laws of such other State, territory, possession, or tribe, or a right or claim arising from such relationship."
Why is Same Sex Marriage So Horrible?
The main argument used by people who opposed legalizing gay marriage is that it is against God himself. It is viewed as immoral and as an abomination, and, presumably, why gay marriage was banned – officially – in three states. Along with voting for President on Nov. 4th, 2008, residents of California also had another decision to make: whether or not they should ban gay marriage or not. Proposition 8 was a referendum that would have amended the state Constitution and allowed same sex marriage; a right that had already been granted to California residents in May of the same year.
Other State Bans
In all of the United States’ fifty states, there are two that allow marriage between same sex couples: Massachusetts and Connecticut. Vermont, New Jersey, and New Hampshire offer legal unions that allow the same rights and responsibilities allotted to married couples. Washington, Maine, and Hawaii all allow civil unions with subsets of marriage allowed to same sex couples. Gay marriage is illegal in every other state, such as Texas, Florida, and Arizona (Florida and Arizona being the other two states that banned same sex marriage on Nov. 4th).
With all these laws, in effect, that are un-Constitutionally treading on citizens rights, it has received countless criticism from TV news casters such as Keith Olbermann and satirical news casters like Jon Stewart.
